Federated system for monitoring physical assets

ABSTRACT

A system federates heterogeneous monitoring systems to provide end-to-end monitoring information for conveyances with item-layer visibility. A first node of the federated system comprises a first monitoring system and a first port and a second node comprises a second monitoring system and a second port. In parallel with a conveyance being transported between the first node and the second node, the first monitoring system sends an agent to the second monitoring system. The agent comprises logic and/or data necessary to implement processes on the second monitoring agent while the conveyance is at the second port. When the conveyance arrives at the second port, the second monitoring system executes the agent to determine conditions of the conveyance and/or its contents.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application: claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e); U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/470,294, entitled “Global Supply ChainFederation,” by David Shannon; claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 asa continuation-in-part to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/821,296,entitled “Continuous Security State Tracking for Intermodal ConveyancesTransported Through a Global Supply Chain,” by David Shannon et al.; andis related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ <attorney docket#21790-07898>, entitled “Nested Visibility for a Conveyance Hierarchy,”by Stephen J. Lambright et al.; and is related to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No.______ <attorney docket #21790-07897>, entitled“State Monitoring of a Conveyance,” by Stephen J. Lambright et al.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to monitoring conveyances and/or theircontents and, more specifically, to monitoring physical assets through anetwork of heterogeneous monitoring systems.

2. Background Art

Ever-increasing global trade underscores a modern global economy whichdepends on goods transported in a global supply chain. Generally, aglobal supply chain is a network of international suppliers,manufacturers, distributors, and other entities that handle goods fromtheir component parts to consumer consumption. For example,semiconductor testing equipment is exported from the United States toTaiwan, where semiconductors are processed and then sent to Malaysia forassembly into computers. Subsequently, the computers are shipped towarehouses in the United States, and ultimately, to consumer outlets forconsumption.

However, heterogeneous monitoring systems along the global supply chainmake end-to-end tracking difficult. These monitoring systems are oftenowned and operated by different non-cooperating entities. Additionally,conventional monitoring systems can run different types of software ordifferent versions of the same software, use proprietary protocols, andthe like, thereby making them unable to easily exchange necessaryinformation. Due to such characteristics, a single monitoring systemloses visibility in incompatible “blind spots.”

Moreover, a shipper and consignee have little or no control overconveyances and/or their contents en route through the global supplychain. Consequentially, nonuniform security standards, physicalhandling, environmental conditions, logistical information collection,and the like, are susceptible to a lowest common denominator.Conversely, checkpoints within the global supply chain have little or noinformation about conveyances and/or their contents that they arehandling. Generally, goods are not visible as they are nested withinseveral layers of other conveyances. An operator must rely oninformation written directly on the conveyance, or log-in to a centraldatabase. Thus, checkpoints are not able to automatically discerncertain conditions about conveyances. Nor are shippers or consigneesable to easily send or receive updates on conveyance conditions fromcheckpoints.

Therefore, what is needed is a robust monitoring system capable ofmonitoring conveyances and/or their contents across heterogeneousmonitoring systems. There is also a need to control the processing ofconveyances and/or their contents while present in the heterogeneousmonitoring system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention meets these needs with a system and method tomonitor conveyances and/or their contents through heterogeneousmonitoring systems. The system federates the heterogeneous monitoringsystems to provide end-to-end monitoring information for conveyanceswith item-layer visibility. The system can automate monitoring steps byusing automatic identification technologies such as RFID (RadioFrequency IDentification) tags on the conveyances and their contents.Furthermore, the system extends control of processing into theheterogeneous monitoring systems in order to, for example, implementstandardized procedures, remotely access conditions, update routinginformation, and the like.

In some embodiments, a first node comprises a first monitoring systemand a first port, and a second node comprises a second monitoring systemand a second port. In parallel with a conveyance being transportedbetween the first node and the second node, the first monitoring systemsends an agent to the second monitoring system. The agent compriseslogic and/or data necessary to implement processes on the secondmonitoring agent while the conveyance is at the second port. When theconveyance arrives at the second port, the second monitoring systemexecutes the agent to determine conditions of the conveyance and/or itscontents. The agent can send execution results back to the firstmonitoring system.

In some embodiments, a federation directory stores information from thefirst monitoring system and provides look-ups for the second monitoringsystem. When the conveyance is prepared for shipping from the firstport, the first monitoring system can upload information correlating aconveyance with an owner, a tag with a conveyance, a conveyance with atag, and the like. When an unknown conveyance arrives at the secondport, the second monitoring system can retrieve identificationinformation from the conveyance in order to retrieve ownershipinformation from the federation directory. Then, the second monitoringsystem can request an agent from the first monitoring system.

In some embodiments, the first monitoring system sends a master agent tothe next node of a route, and slave agents to all nodes of the route.The master agent can be immediately executable and include permissionssuch as writing data to the conveyance tag. The slave agent can be apassive agent that is pre-loaded, but not executable without a masteragent. Thus, the nodes pass the master agent to next nodes or return itto the first monitoring system for distribution.

In some embodiments, the monitoring systems comprise an agent managementmodule to generate and distribute modules. The agent management moduleassociates information such as the tag identification information withthe conveyance, encapsulates the data and sends it to the federationdirectory. The agent management module can also generate an agentequipped with necessary logic and/or data to remotely process theconveyance. Subsequently, the agent management module can update theagent to reflect changes in policy such as a change in routing or achange in destination. In some embodiments, the monitoring systemsfurther comprise an agent execution module to safely execute receivedagents. The agent execution module controls an agent's execution andprotects the monitoring system. For example, the agent execution modulecan limit processor cycles available to agent threads, partition memoryusage, and prevent malicious code from harming native data.

The features and advantages described in this summary and the followingdetailed description are not all-inclusive, and particularly, manyadditional features and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinaryskill in the art in view of the drawings, specification, and claimshereof. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in thespecification has been principally selected for readability andinstructional purposes, and may not have been selected to delineate orcircumscribe the inventive subject matter, resort to the claims beingnecessary to determine such inventive subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a federated global supplynetwork in according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating interactions betweenheterogeneous monitoring systems of the federated global supply networkaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a representative monitoringsystem according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a representative agent accordingto one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method for monitoring conveyancesand/or their contents at a second node from a first node in a federatedmonitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method for processing an agent ata second node according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The figures depict embodiments of the present invention for purposes ofillustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize fromthe following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structuresand methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing fromthe principles of the invention described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A system and method for monitoring a conveyance and/or its contentsacross heterogeneous monitoring systems is disclosed. A system accordingto some embodiments of the present invention is set forth in FIGS. 1-4,and methods operating therein, according to some embodiments of thepresent invention, are set forth in FIGS. 5-6.

The accompanying description is for the purpose of providing a thoroughexplanation with numerous specific details. Of course, the field ofconveyance monitoring is such that many different variations of theillustrated and described features of the invention are possible. Thoseskilled in the art will thus undoubtedly appreciate that the inventioncan be practiced without some specific details described below, andindeed will see that many other variations and embodiments of theinvention can be practiced while still satisfying its teachings andspirit. Accordingly, the present invention should not be understood asbeing limited to the specific implementations described below, but onlyby the claims that follow.

The processes, features, or functions of the present invention can beimplemented by program instructions that execute in an appropriatecomputing device. Example computing devices include enterprise servers,application servers, workstations, personal computers, networkcomputers, network appliances, personal digital assistants, gameconsoles, televisions, set-top boxes, premises automation equipment,point-of-sale terminals, automobiles, and personal communicationsdevices. The program instructions can be distributed on a computerreadable medium, storage volume, or the Internet. Program instructionscan be in any appropriate form, such as source code, object code, orscripting code.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a federated monitoring system 100according to one embodiment of the present invention. The federatedmonitoring system 100 comprises a heterogeneous monitoring systems(collectively 110 a, 110 b, 110 c) and a federation directory 130 incommunication with a global supply chain (collectively 105, 115 a-c,125). The heterogeneous monitoring systems comprise an export monitoringsystem 110 a, a trans-shipment monitoring system 110 b, and an importmonitoring system 110 c. The global supply chain comprises a shipper105, an origin port 115 a, a trans-shipment port 115 b, a destinationport 115 c, and a consignee 125. Note that the heterogeneous monitoringsystems and the global supply chain can have various configurationswithin the scope and spirit of the present invention. For example, theglobal supply chain can alternatively comprise, for example, adistribution center, a rail terminal, a warehouse, a manufacturingplant, a retail store, and the like.

In general, the federated monitoring system 100 distributes agentsthrough the heterogeneous monitoring systems to process physical assetsas they arrive at nodes therein. A physical asset can comprises anylayer of the ISO (International Standards Organization) logisticallayers including an item layer, a packaging layer, a carton layer, aunit load layer, a container layer, a vehicle layer, and the like. Thephysical asset can also comprise a non-standardized asset such as a goodor a conveyance for transporting goods. Note that conveyances 176 a,b isused herein as a representative physical asset but that any of thelisted physical assets can be substituted. The conveyances are equippedwith automatic identification technology such as an RFID (RadioFrequency IDentification) tag or other device to store and provideidentification information. In one embodiment, several conveyances 176a,b can be nested within an outer conveyance. A conveyance 176 a,b atany layer of the nesting can provide visibility of the item layer to themonitoring system 100. In another embodiment, the conveyance 176 a,b isequipped with a state device making it self-aware and, thus, capable ofdetermining its own condition in blind spots and reporting the conditionto the federated monitoring system 100.

At a high-level, the shipper 105 transports a conveyance 176 a,b to theconsignee 125 via one of many trade routes, only one of which is shownin the example of FIG. 1. As a first mode of transportation, a trucktransports the conveyance 176 a,b from the shipper 105 to the originport 115 a. As a second and a third mode of transportation, a firstvessel and a second vessel transport the conveyance 176 a,b from theorigin port 115 a to the destination port 115 c with a transfer at atrans-shipment port 115 b. As a fourth mode of transportation, a freighttrain transports the conveyance 176 a,b to the consignee 125.

The global supply chain is a network of international suppliers,manufacturers, distributors, and other entities that handle conveyancesfrom their component parts to consumer consumption. The shipper 105 andthe consignee 125 can be direct or indirect partner entities or unitswithin a single entity exchanging a conveyance 176 a,b though a traderoute. For example, a manufacturer sends computer components to anassembly plant by truck freight, which in turn ships assembled computersto a warehouse. The origin and destination ports 15 a-b can be ashipping dock, an airport, a customs agency, an NVOCC (Non-VesselOperating Common Carrier) or any other entity that sends and/or receivesgoods over a trade route. A representative port 115 is described ingreater detail below with respect to FIG. 4. An internal supply chain isa similar network operated by a single entity or closely-associatedentities.

In the federated monitoring system 100, the export monitoring system 110a monitors the conveyance 176 a,b from the shipper 105 to the originport 115 a, and then hands-off monitoring to the trans-shipmentmonitoring system 110 b. In turn, the trans-shipment monitoring system110 b monitors the conveyance at the trans-shipment port 115 b, and thenhands-off monitoring to the import monitoring system 110 c to monitorthe conveyance 176 a,b from the destination port 115 c to the consignee125. In one embodiment, the monitoring systems 110 a-c overlap coverageto ensure continuity in monitoring. In another embodiment, hand-offsbetween monitoring systems 110 a-c comprise exchanging an agent asdescribed below with reference to FIG. 2.

The monitoring systems 110 a-c monitor the conveyance 176 a,b forconditions such as environmental conditions, logistical and locationconditions, security and physical conditions, and the like.Environmental conditions can relate to conditions such as temperature,humidity, shock, and the like. Logistical and location conditions canrelate to timing, whether a conveyance is in the right place, and thelike. Also, security and physical conditions can relate to whether abolt seal on the conveyance has been opened or tampered with, whetherthe conveyance 176 a,b or its contents are physically damaged, and thelike. The monitoring systems 110 a-c can use logic implemented, forexample, with state machines to determine the conditions. Monitoringsystems 110 a-c determine desired logical processes and/or data neededto generate an agent as driven by specific needs of the conveyance 176a,b.

For example, if the conveyance 176 a,b contains hazardous materials thatshould be handled by certain agents, the monitoring systems 110 a-c cansupply the agent with logic or software code necessary to provideultra-secure authorization and/or data including types of authorizedagents or specifically authorized agents. In another example, a companydesiring to ensure that minimum security procedures are met across asystem can generate an agent with security state logic and data. Theagent can interrogate the conveyance 176 a,b to ensure that the seal hasremained closed. The agent can also retrieve a self-determined securitystate from the conveyance 176 a,b and send the results back an owner ofthe agent. In yet another example, the agent can apply business rulesagainst manifest data ensuring that the conveyance 176 a,b inventory canbe accounted for. In still another example, the agent can update routinginformation for the conveyance such as a change in destination. Themonitoring systems 110 a-c comprises, for example, one or more personalcomputers, workstations, server blades, and the like. A representativemonitoring system 110 is described further below with reference to FIG.3.

The federation directory 130 provides a look-up service acrossindependently-operated monitoring systems to identify conveyances 176a,b within their purview. When the export monitoring system 110 agenerates agents, it can also send enough information to the federationdirectory 130 for the trans-shipment or import monitoring systems 110b-c to match agents with unidentified conveyances. The federationdirectory 130 stores information in tables using a common formataccessible across registered systems to ensure interoperability. Theinformation can vary to correlate, for example, the conveyance 176 a,bwith an owner, a tag with an owner, a tag with a conveyance, theconveyance 176 a,b with a tag, and the like. When the trans-shipment orimport monitoring systems 110 b-c detect an unidentified conveyance,they can interrogate the conveyance for a federation identification. Thefederation directory 130 allows the trans-shipment or import monitoringsystems 10 b-c to request an agent from the unidentified conveyanceowner for processing.

The communication lines 112 a-e provide data communication between themonitoring systems 110 a-c and ports 115 a-c within the global supplychain. The communication lines 112 a-e can be enabled by, for example, awired or wireless network connection such as the Internet, a satellite,a telephone line, and the like. Preferably, communication lines 112 a-eenable tightly coupled and secure hand-offs using, for example,encryption, secure protocols such as HTTPS, and the like. Similarcommunication lines can be used for inter-monitoring system 110 a-ccommunication.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating interactions between theheterogeneous monitoring systems 110 a-c according to one embodiment ofthe present invention. A vessel transports a conveyance from the originport 115 a to the trans-shipment port 115 b, and then to the destinationport 115 c. In a parallel manner, the federated monitoring system 100sends a master agent from the export monitoring system 110 a to thetrans-shipment monitoring system 110 b, and then to the importmonitoring system 110 c. Such coexistence allows the export monitoringsystem 110 a to control processing of the conveyance and its contents onthe trans-shipment and import monitoring systems 110 b-c.

In one embodiment, the master agent is sent to a next node and then tosubsequent nodes along with the conveyance, while the slave agent issent to each node in advance of the conveyance. The master agent can beimmediately executable and include permissions such as permission towrite to the conveyance tag. By contrast, the slave agent can be apassive agent that is pre-loaded for efficiency, but is not executablewithout the master agent. Additionally, the slave agent can report afailure of the conveyance to reach the node. In one embodiment, theslave agent is valid for a limited time and, if expired, is refreshedupon arrival of the master agent. In another embodiment, thetrans-shipment and import monitoring systems 110 b-c can request themaster agent upon arrival of the conveyance.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a representative monitoringsystem 110 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Themonitoring system 110 comprises a memory 310, a communication port 320,and a processor 330. The memory 310 further comprises an agentmanagement module 312, an agent execution module 314, and a conveyanceidentification module 316.

The agent management module 312 generates and distributes agents. Theagent management module 312 associates information such as a tagidentifier with an owner, a tag identifier with a conveyance, aconveyance with a tag identifier, and the like. The agent managementmodule can encapsulate the information and upload to the federationdirectory 130 through the communication port 320. The agent managementmodule 312 can also generate an agent equipped with necessary logicand/or data to remotely process the conveyance. Subsequently, the agentmanagement module 312 can update the agent to reflect changes in policysuch as a change in routing or a change in destination, or refreshexpired agents.

The agent execution module 314 safely executes agents, for example, inan execution container. The agent execution module 314 can limitresource usage such as processor cycles and available memory usage. Theagent execution module 314 can also partition agent execution to preventmalicious code from harming other software code present in the memory310. For example, the agent execution module 314 may limit availableAPI's (application program interfaces).

The conveyance identification module 316 matches agents withconveyances. The conveyance identification module 316 detectsconveyances and requests conveyance identification information using,for example, automatic identification technology. The conveyanceidentification module 316 checks received agents for matchingidentification information. If there is no pre-loaded agent, theconveyance identification module 316 retrieves ownership informationfrom the federated directory 130. The conveyance identification module316 uses the ownership information to request the agent from the ownermonitoring system 110.

The communication port 320 comprises physical, logical, analog and/ordigital communication channels necessary to, for example, send andreceive identification information, layer information, and the like. Forexample, the communication port 320 comprises an RF transceiver, asatellite transponder, a GPS (Geographic Positioning System) receiver,an Ethernet interface, a telephone interface, and the like. Thecommunication port 320 can also translate information between formatssuch as between a proprietary information format and EDI (ElectronicData Interchange). The processor 330 comprises, for example, a CPU(Central Processing Unit), a mobile CPU, a controller, or other deviceto execute instructions.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a representative agent 400according to one embodiment of the present invention. The agent 400comprises conveyance data 410 and conveyance logic 420. Depending on itscontents, the agent 400 can be embodied in various forms such assoftware code, a script, a set of messages, a token, and the like.Preferably, the agent 400 is platform-independent and, thus, capable ofoperating in any operating system or underlying hardware by, forexample, running Java code in Java Virtual Machines, using XML format,and the like. Additionally, the agent can be version independent, orbackwards compatible.

The conveyance data 410 comprises general data for conveyance monitoringand/or data specific to a corresponding conveyance. The general data cancomprise standard information used across conveyances. On the otherhand, the specific data can comprise information particular to theconveyance such as contents, routing information, destinationinformation, allowable temperature ranges for the contents, and thelike. The conveyance data 410 can be formatted in XML, network packets,and the like.

The conveyance logic 410 comprises general logic and/or specific logic.The logic can be, for example, a state machine that uses inputs from theconveyance data 410 or the conveyance itself, and outputs a state. Theresulting state can be reported back to an agent owner for monitoring.The conveyance logic 410 can call API's on the hosting monitoring system110 to access existing processes. For example, the conveyance logic 420can be implemented in Java running on a Java Virtual Machine.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method 500 for monitoringconveyances at a second node from a first node of a federated monitoringsystem 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Thenodes can comprise, for example, any of the monitoring systems 110 a-cin communication with any of the ports 115 a-c, a shipper 105, aconsignee 125, a distribution center, a rail terminal, a warehouse, amanufacturing plant, a retail store, and the like. When the shipperseals 510 the conveyance, a seal key is associated with the conveyance.The agent uploads 520 conveyance information such as the seal key,ownership information, and the like, to the federation directory 130. Asa result, any monitoring system 110 in communication with the federationdirectory 130 can gain access to an agent corresponding to theconveyance from the owner.

The agent management module 312 generates 530 and sends an agentcorresponding to the conveyance from the first node to the second node.The agent comprises logic and/or data that can be generally related toconveyances or specifically related to the corresponding conveyance. Inone embodiment, the agent management module 312 sends slave agents toeach port in a container route, and sends a master agent to the nextport. A vessel transports 540 the conveyance from the first node to thesecond node.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method 600 for processing an agentat the second node according to one embodiment of the present invention.The second node receives 610 agents at the first node and other outsidenodes. The second node also detects 620 the conveyance when it arrivesfrom the first node. In one embodiment, the second node comprises areader that detects tags or other automatic identification technologywithin range and sends a signal to a second monitoring system 110 withinthe second node.

The conveyance identification module 316 checks received agents againsta tag identification 630. If there is no matching agent, the conveyanceis an unidentified or unexpected conveyance. In this case, theconveyance identification module 316 retrieves 640 conveyanceinformation from the federation directory 130. As such, the federationdirectory uses the tag identification as a key to look up ownershipinformation. The conveyance identification module 316 can then retrieve530 a valid agent from the owner monitoring system 110. In oneembodiment, the monitoring system 110 has received a corresponding agentthat is no longer valid. For example, if the conveyance does not arrivewithin a window, the agent can expire. In this case, the conveyanceidentification module 316 requests an updated agent from the ownermonitoring system 110.

The agent execution module 314 at the second node executes 660 theagent. In one example, the agent execution module 314 executes within anagent execution module 314. The execution varies depending upon theagent and its permissions at the second node. The agent can execute itsown logic by applying business rules to determine conditions of theconveyance and/or its contents. The execution can also be dependent onresources the monitoring system 110 in that the agent merely providesdata such as reference information for conditions. In one embodiment,the execution comprises processing message packets. After execution, inone embodiment, results are sent back to the first monitoring system110.

In an embodiment in which master agents are needed to activate passiveagent, after execution, the second node sends 670 the agent to a nextnode. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that similarmethods can be applied at subsequent nodes.

1. A method of monitoring physical assets from nodes in heterogeneousmonitoring systems, comprising the steps of: receiving an agent from afirst node, the agent associated with a physical asset transported fromthe first node to a second node; detecting the physical asset; andexecuting the agent at the second node to determine a condition of thephysical asset.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: detectingan unidentified physical asset; and retrieving identificationinformation associated with the unidentified physical asset, whereindetecting the physical asset comprises identifying the unidentifiedphysical asset as the physical asset;
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: detecting an unidentified physical asset; retrievingidentification information associated with the unidentified physicalasset; and retrieving origin information based on the identificationinformation, wherein the step of receiving the agent further comprisesrequesting the agent from the first node based on the origin informationand the identification information.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe step of receiving the agent comprises: receiving the agent from thefirst node, the agent having logic to implement rules to determine thecondition of the physical asset.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein thestep of receiving the agent comprises: receiving the agent from thefirst node, the agent having data associated with the physical asset. 6.The method of claim 5, wherein the step of receiving the data comprises:receiving the agent from the first node, the agent having datacomprising one from the group containing: location information,logistics information, physical information, security information, andenvironmental information.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:generating the agent at the first node.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein the physical asset comprises a conveyance.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the physical asset comprises an item.
 10. A method ofautomatically monitoring conveyances and items from heterogeneous nodesin a global supply chain, comprising the steps of: receiving an agentfrom a first node, the agent comprising logic and data associated with aphysical asset transported from the first node to a second node;detecting an identification of the physical asset from an automaticidentification technology; executing the agent at the second node todetermine a condition of the physical asset; and sending the conditionto the first node.
 11. A node within a plurality of nodes inheterogeneous monitoring systems to monitor physical assets, comprising:an agent identification module to detect the physical asset; and anagent execution module to receive an agent from an origin node, theagent associated with the physical asset transported from the originnode, the agent execution module executing the agent at the second nodeto determine a condition of the physical asset.
 12. The node of claim11, wherein the agent detects an unidentified physical asset, andretrieves identification information associated with the unidentifiedphysical asset to identify the unidentified physical asset as thephysical asset.
 13. The node of claim 11, wherein the agent detects anunidentified asset, retrieves identification information associated withthe unidentified physical asset, retrieves origin information from afederated directory based on the identification information, andrequests the agent from the origin node based on the origin informationand the identification information.
 14. The node of claim 11, whereinthe agent comprises logic to implement rules to determine the conditionof the physical asset.
 15. The node of claim 11, wherein the agentcomprises data associated with the physical asset.
 16. The node of claim15, wherein the data comprises one from the group containing: locationinformation, logistics information, physical information, securityinformation, and environmental information.
 17. The node of claim 11,wherein the physical asset comprises a conveyance.
 18. The node of claim11, wherein the physical asset comprises an item.
 19. A computerproduct, comprising: a computer-readable medium having computer programinstructions and data embodied thereon for monitoring physical assetsfrom nodes of heterogeneous monitoring systems, comprising the steps of:receiving an agent from a first node, the agent associated with aphysical asset transported from the first node to a second node;detecting the physical asset; and executing the agent at the second nodeto determine a condition of the physical asset.
 20. The computer productof claim 19, further comprising: detecting an unidentified physicalasset; and retrieving identification information associated with theunidentified physical asset, wherein detecting the physical assetcomprises identifying the unidentified physical asset as the physicalasset;
 21. The computer product of claim 19, further comprising:detecting an unidentified physical asset; retrieving identificationinformation associated with the unidentified physical asset; andretrieving origin information based on the identification information,wherein the step of receiving the agent further comprises requesting theagent from the first node based on the origin information and theidentification information.
 22. The computer product of claim 19,wherein the step of receiving the agent comprises: receiving the agentfrom the first node, the agent having logic to implement rules todetermine the condition of the physical asset.
 23. The computer productof claim 19, wherein the step of receiving the agent comprises:receiving the agent from the first node, the agent having dataassociated with the physical asset.
 24. The computer product of claim23, wherein the step of receiving the data comprises: receiving theagent from the first node, the agent having data comprising one from thegroup containing: location information, logistics information, physicalinformation, security information, and environmental information. 25.The computer product of claim 19, wherein the physical asset comprises aconveyance.
 26. The computer product of claim 19, wherein the physicalasset comprises an item.